The Blunderful Adventures of Ashei and Shad - The Wendigo
by FayanaGOpalshine
Summary: In the first installment of "The Blunderful Adventures of Ashei and Shad", the two title characters must battle against a cannibalistic snow monster, the legendary Wendigo. (Some Ashad fluff - a short, one chapter story apart of a series of stories about Ashei and Shad's battles and adventures surrounding mythical creatures in our world's history. Enjoy !)


"Hey Shad," Ashei beckoned as she trudged deeper and deeper in the snow. Shad looked at her, snow flurries on his glasses and a leather bound book in his hand. He had that studious look in his eyes, the one he always tended to don whenever there was a problem to be solved or a question to be answered. "Ever think it could snow like this in Gerudo Desert?"

Shad shook his head and looked back at his book - page 52, The Climate of Snowpeak. Never meeting her gaze again, Shad answered, "It's a desert, Ashei; have you ever seen it _snow _in a desert?"

"Yeah." Ashei glared at him as they walked. "I read about it in a book." She nodded quickly and came to a halt, still looking at him and her hand tight on her hip. A gust of wind flew by and whipped her pale face. She then added, with a smirk, "You know, like the ones you fancy-diners read when other people are trying to work for a living."

"I only read _nonfiction _books," he said dryly as he flipped to the next page - 53, The Inhabitants of Snowpeak. Ashei rolled her eyes and continued walking, Shad by her side.

"So," he initiated after a few more moments. "What did you say happened to your horse again?"

"Well, me and my horse were riding along a path in the woods - trying to look for some vittles, you know - and then I got off to take down this White Wolfos with my bow." She paused for a moment to stretch out her arms in a way that mimicked drawing a bow. She then pretended to release, her aim locked on an almost snow hidden shrub to her right. She smiled proudly at her mock kill shot and pretended to dangle the bow by her side. She gave a half smile at her display and then nudged her arm so she could continue.

"Ah, right!" she said, remembering where she left off and pushing her raven black hair behind her ears. "So I came down to shoot the thing, and when I was taking aim..." She paused again to draw her fake bow up into the air. "I heard this..." She put her 'bow' down. "...this scream. And I swear, I couldn't move a muscle - _anywhere, at all. _It was like I was frozen!"

Shad raised his eyebrows inquisitively, but the reaction seemed to be gained from the book - page 54, The Tallest Mountain in Snowpeak - not from Ashei's story.

"Yo!" Ashei whacked Shad hard on the forearm, trying to redirect his attention. He ignored her - too enamored with the book - and continued reading the passage. "Hey, you're listening, yeah?"

"It was like you were frozen," he repeated rather stoicly, his eyes still scanning page 54 - now page 55, The Capitol of Snowpeak.

"And then Obsidian - my horse - ran off, and I couldn't get him back!"

"And that's when you asked for my assistance."

"Right." Ashei nodded, then ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to push off the tiny snowflakes that always seemed to fall heavily in Snowpeak. Luckily, there were only flurries today. She then added, rather harshly, "But you're not helping me much, now are you?"

Shad stopped walking, closed his book, and gave his friend a long, hard stare. "Look, Ashei, I haven't seen your filthy - What?" His gaze shifted to Ashei's hand, which she was holding - palm up and open - high into the air. Shad could feel the wind picking up, the breeze becoming less and less gentle after every second. Ashei put her hand down and looked inside of it - the snowflakes were larger and in greater abundance than before.

"We better head back to my place for the night. We can continue this tomorrow at dawn." Ashei walked forward a few steps, the turned around to see if Shad was with her. He was still in the same spot as before. "The snow's starting to fall harder!" she prodded, a hint of irritation behind her gruff sounding voice. This made Shad follow behind, buttoning up his coat as he trudged through the glistening white snow.

It continued like this for miles on - the winds were getting faster, the snow was falling harder, and the sun was getting lower in the sky.

Shad was beginning to feel uneasy. It was getting darker, and the snow was blinding their sight. It was the perfect time for the monsters to make their rounds. The perfect time to get your throat torn out by a hungry White Wolfos. The perfect time for -

He wanted to direct his worries to Ashei's wellbeing, but he knew how used to the climate and creatures she was. Virtually nothing frightened that girl, not even one of those giant Freezard beasts!

But Shad, on the other hand, was afraid of mostly everything. Deku Babas, Fire Toadpolis, even Hylian Hornets sent a shiver down his spine.

And oh, how Ashei made fun of him for it. Name calling, teasing, threats, sneaking up behind and scaring him, putting spiders in his drink, moving his stuff...all her favorite pastimes not including drinking, sledding, and killing of course.

"Hey look," Ashei said, interrupting his thoughts and pointing to the horizon. Only the very top of the sun could be seen behind the mountains, and the sky was getting dimmer and dimmer, like an old lantern running out of its precious oil.

The wind was picking up even more, the light little snow flurries were turning into sharp little hailstones, the sun was rolling away, a howling noise sounded in the distance, everything was -

"You okay, Shad?" she yelled, trying to be heard over the whistling of the wind and noticing the uneasy look on his face. She grabbed his arm, squeezing it affectionately, however she would never admit the true nature of her gesture. He nodded solemnly, the Ashei suggested, "It's starting to hail! I know a cave we can rest in! Why don't we stop there 'til tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, let's do that."

The cave was warm and cozy, however not too small and confined. Spacious, actually, with enough room for two people and a solid silver treasure chest that Ashei kept in the cave just in case a time like this occurred. Inside was two thick Yeti furs (gathered before she learned what a gentle species the creatures actually were), some extra food rations, a canteen (which now frozen water inside), a bottle of potion, some extra arrows, and even a few rupees for the most interesting of emergencies.

Despite having enough _space _for a fire, although, it was the one thing the pair couldn't attain. With the hail chunks now getting larger and larger and the now pitch black sky, it was far too dangerous to go looking for firewood, even if they'd be extra cold for the night. Furs and eachothers' body warmth would have to do, but Ashei especially wasn't welcome to such an idea.

"Shad, we're trying to stay warm - not cuddling - so you can stop sleeping so close to me, yeah?"

"It's the only way for warmth to pass through into the body. It says it in my field guide."

"Oh, you mean that dumb book you bury your nose into whenever I'm trying to talk to you?"

"It's a very valuable source of information."

"No, you _think _it's a valuable source of information. The only way you learn in life is through - Wait, what the hell was that?" Ashei jerked up quickly, the Yeti pelt falling off her shoulder and the warmth flowing out of her body. As she looked out into the land, Shad pushed the fur back on her and sat up with her.

There was just snow and darkness, wind and -

"Don't you hear that hissing?" she asked, turning her head towards Shad. He frowned, put his glasses back on, and shook his head no. "Well, I do, and I'm gonna go check it out."

"Ashei, no." He grabbed her hand as she began to stand up. She flashed him a dirty look, pulled her hand away, and reached for her bow, arrows and sword despite his protests. "What if it's a snake?"

"There are no snakes in Snowpeak, Shad," she said dryly as she strapped her bow and quiver to her back and stuck her sword in its sheath. Swiftly, she stood up and began walking out of the cave, the warm, furry Yeti pelt still draped around her broad shoulders.

"I'm sure there are some breeds."

"Yeah, well why don't you go look that up in your prissy little field guide while a real man goes out and gets the job done; whatcha think?" Ashei smirked slightly at her comeback and then sauntered proudly out of the cave, a glimmer of anticipation in her copper colored eyes. _No one messes with Ashei of Snowpeak, _she thought haughtily. _Especially not some stupid hissing freak._

Ashei walked for a few moments, trying not to lose track of the cave yet not too worried about its whereabouts. It was hard enough to see through the snow storm - probably the worst one they had in years.

After awhile, she saw a hazy, black figure in the distance, one that looked like a tall, muscular animal. One that reminded Ashei of -

"Obsidian!" she called as she chased after the animal, her feet light on the snow as she ran. It was strange; her beloved horse wasn't moving - he was just standing there in the snow. "Obsidian!" she shouted again, but the howling wind was too loud for her voice to be heard.

As she approached her steed, she began to slow down when she saw the dark red slash marks on the animal's flank. "Whoa, Obsidian, what happened to you, guy?"

The horse didn't do or say anything - not a single neigh. Ashei walked around her mount, checking for anymore scars. Finally, he turned to look at her, fear in the creature's solemn, dark eyes.

"Damn, looks like an old White Wolfos got you," Ashei said with a sigh. Feeling bad for her horse, she rummaged through her Yeti fur Spoils Bag until she found a half drunken bottle of Red Potion, which she gave some of to Obsidian directly and rubbed the rest on his wound. Immediatly, the gashes started to fade and the horse's mood was perked up along with it. "That's my boy," she said heartily as she gave the horse a light slap on the flank. He gave a just as hearty neigh as she mounted him and adjusted her position on the saddle.

"Huh." Ashei looked all around, her hands tight on the reins. "Looks like whatever was making that noise left."

She pulled the creatures reins to the left, making him turn back around towards the direction of the cave. Under the light of the moon, Ashei could just make out Shad curled up in the back of their rest-stop, intently studying something in his field guide, the Yeti fur wrapped tightly around him for warmth.

Ashei could feel the wind pick up around her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She had this strange sensation that she was being followed, but she immediately shrugged it off. _Just the wind, Ashei. Don't get your jimmies in a rustle._

The hissing began once more. Ashei was beginning to feel rather annoyed. "Alright..." She pulled on the horse's reins, causing him to turn back around. "Who in the bloody hell is-?"

Ashei could feel her blood run cold. Her eyes widened, and she had trouble keeping her jaw from dropping. Before her very eyes was a creature as tall as a mighty oak and as menacing as the Demon King himself. A creature with stringy, white, bloodstained fur and fangs like razor sharp daggers. A creature with shining red eyes pushed deep into their sockets and a long, slimy, indigo tongue protruding out of its black, lipless mouth. A creature any inhabitant of the mountains could recognize without a doubt and great certainty - the Wendigo.

The beast let out a blood curdling scream, causing Ashei to freeze where she was, her hands still tight on Obsidian's reins. The girl couldn't move - everything about her was absolutely still, frozen in time.

Shad rose from his seat in the cave. He had just discovered what the Wendigo was for himself. It didn't seem as if his "prissy little field guide" was so useless after all.

Immediatly, Shad dropped the book and Yeti pelt on the cold cave floor. He ran out into the blizzard, which was getting more and more violent as the Wendigo approached. He held his coat closer to his chest and put one arm over his face to shield himself from the snow. He ran as fast as he could, trying to get to his friend before the Wendigo could feast upon her flesh.

The beast was a cannibalistic monster who relentlessly pursued his prey. He used everything he had - his speed, his strength, and his vast amount of intelligence to obtain the meal he was always absolutely ravenous for - human flesh.

Shad could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. The cold, the fear, the worry, yet he had never felt so alive before in his life. _Dangerous, but better than being a prude, _he thought, trying to add a hint of levity to the already intense ordeal.

The Wendigo was furious by the time Shad arrived at Ashei and Obsidian's side. Moving as quick as he could, Shad pried Ashei's fingers from the reins and pushed her to the back of the all black horse. He clumsily - his foot missing the stirrup the first time her tried - climbed on the horse and turned around to wrap Ashei's arms around his back. He prayed silently to the goddess Hylia that it was enough for her to hold on as he gripped the reins, turned the horse around, and gave it a good, strong kick.

Obsidian carried Shad and Ashei as fast as his four legs could carry him back to the cave, the Wendigo savagely pursuing them as they made their speedy escape. An angry - and hungry! - beast such as the Wendigo was not to be trifled with.

At the cave, Shad tried incessantly to wake Ashei, who was now sitting frozen on the cave floor.

Shad had read about this very situation in the field guide. Legend says the screech of the Wendigo can instill fear in even the bravest of men - or women! - causing them to freeze in their very spot.

Tirelessly, he shook her, calling her name and slapping her face as hard as a man of knowledge could. Over and over, without avail, begging the gods silently she could wake before the Wendigo could eat the flesh off her -

"Stop being so spastic, yeah? You act like I was attacked by a Darknut or something." Ashei chuckled slightly, grabbing Shad's hand before he could slap her again and giving him a friendly smirk.

"Ashei!" he shouted, wrapping his arms around her and pulling his friend into a tight hug. He pulled her away to look into her eyes and said, "I thought I lost you."

"Ugh, stop being so sappy, Shad." She waved his foolishness away with her hand. "You really think a little scream is gonna take me down?"

"No, I was just-"

They were interrupted by Obsidian, who was neighing loudly, warning them of the Wendigo's presence. He was drawing near.

Quickly, Shad moved his arms off Ashei and turned to look out the cave. Closer and closer, with the fury of a blizzard on his side. His fangs glistened in the moonlight, his eyes shined like two red rupees in the morning heat.

Stumbling, Shad ran to the back of the cave and recovered his field guide, which was lying closed on the frigid cold ground. He erratically flipped through the pages, ripping some and desperately searching for page 62. Page 201, now 104, now 83, now 64, now 63, now 62 - How to Destroy a Wendigo.

"Ashei," he beckoned, his voice strong and clear, and she quickly ran to his side, standing over his shoulder to get a better look at the book. "Get your sword."

Without even pausing to think, Ashei pulled her sword from its sheath at her side. "Yeah?"

"It's silver, yes?"

Ashei smiled and ran her fingers along the polished blade. "One hundred percent," she said matter of factly.

"We need to make a fire," he commanded, pointing to a section in his field guide. Ashei looked at him incredulously.

"Are you freaking nuts?" she asked him. "We can't go out there and look for wood! It's suicide! Wood's too damp, anyway." She sassily put her hands on her hips, trying to think of another way. _Come on Ashei, think! _she encouraged, but Shad had an idea before any other thoughts came to her mind.

"Fire arrows!" he shouted excitedly, putting his index finger in the air like a scientist during his 'eureka' moment. Ashei didn't consider it as much of an answer.

"Fire _arrows_?" she repeated disbelievingly, her hands still on her hips and her brows narrowed. "We can't even make a _real _fire! How in the bloody hell are we supposed to make some damn fire _arrows_?"

Shad flipped through the book a few more times, his hand studiously rubbing his chin as he searched for a possible answer. Just aimlessly looking didn't seem to be the best tactic, so he took a peak at the index.

"Aha!" he interjected, and Ashei immediately came to attention. "Well, I've decided it would be in our best interest, based on the resources and amount of time we have, that we should go with something pertaining to the-"

"Damn it, Shad, they're's a freaking flesh hungry Wendigo outside! We don't have enough time for your silly-"

A tree fell in the distance - the wind must have knocked it down. The hail was now making its way inside the cave, whipping their faces and burning their eyes. The sky was no longer a dark shade of navy; it was white, covered by the snow and the spirit of the Wendigo. The had to act fast, before the beast could consume them both.

"Do you happen to have a bomb bag?" he asked as he studied the page indicated in the index. Ashei nodded and unhooked the bomb bag hanging off her belt. She undid the string and looked inside to make sure she had a good amount - 9, not much, but good enough.

"An arrow," he ordered. She pulled one from her quiver. Shad took a bomb from her Yeti fur bag, took the arrow from her hand, and carefully stuck the arrow straight through the bomb. "There," he said, still adjusting the bomb on the arrow. "Bomb arrows. Now you make some."

Working diligently, Ashei copied the same motions as Shad - take a bomb, take an arrow, stick the arrow through the bomb. Take a bomb, take an arrow, stick the arrow through the bomb, over and over, until they were finally finished.

But it was too late. The Wendigo was at their door.

The beast screeched loudly, but Ashei and Shad covered their ears before the wail could have any effect.

"Ashei!" Shad called, his hands still cupping his ears and the Wendigo still screaming. The wind whirled violently, making their clothes blow around and their supplies fly out of the cave. Luckily, however, the bomb arrows, the chest, and Ashei's bow and sword remained inside. "Ashei! Can you hear me?" he tried again.

Ashei gave an exaggerated nod and replied, "Yeah! Yeah, I can hear you! What?"

"We have to cut off his limbs with your sword and burn each one of them! His heart of ice needs to be torn out of his chest, shattered, and put into the silver box!" His voice was barely audible, but Ashei could understand the most important parts.

Taking a deep breath, she moved her hands from her ears, pulled her sword from her sheath, and walked out into the raging blizzard, only to come face to face with the legendary Wendigo.

Ashei drew her blade and charged at the beast, hoping to do a jump attack at his legs to cut one off. Clumsily, she came up short, landing just by his feet. The snow was so cold, it burned her knees, but she paid no attention to such trivial matters. Instead, she stood up and rolled behind him, giving him a good, hard whack on the back of the knee. The creature moaned in pain, grabbing for his leg and jumping furiously on one foot, making the ground shake beneath him. Ashei struggled to keep her balance.

_I need to find some way to get this thing to fall over, _she said to herself, studying his sporadic movements.

Meanwhile, Shad was emptying the silver chest, which he finished doing rather quickly. He then ran to Ashei's side, stumbling in the snow, and pointed to a bald spot on the Wendigo's furry back. "Ashei," he said loudly. "Shoot that spot on his back with your bow. It'll make him fall down!"

"It'll make him what?" she queried, loading a bomb arrow into her bow.

"Just shoot it!"

Ashei fought to keep aim. The ground was still shaking, and every time Ashei was ready to make her shot, the ground would move again, befuddling her perfect aim. After a few more second, Ashei fired the arrow, causing it to explode on contact. Her shot was too high, so she took another, this time hitting a flawless bullseye at the Wendigo's ashy gray bald spot. The monster shrieked in pain letting go of his sore leg and reaching for his burning back. With a loud boom, the creature landed hard on his back, shaking the earth and making Ashei and Shad jump involuntarily.

Seeing her opportunity, Ashei successfully enacted a jump attack on the dazed beast, cutting off his injured leg in one quick motion.

"I'll drag it into the cave," Shad said, now pulling on the savage's severed leg. "Shoot a bomb arrow at it when it's inside and I get far enough away - it'll burn the limb!"

Ashei gave her friend a quick salute and got back into her battle stance. The Wendigo was getting up, and he was pissed.

Hopping to his feet - er, foot - the mutant charged for Ashei, but she dived out of the way just in time, dropping her sword on the snow covered floor. She strained to reach for it, almost pulling her arm out of its socket.

The Wendigo was charging again.

With great agility, Ashei picked up her sword, came to her feet and did a counterclockwise spin attack on the beast's other leg, making him immediately crash to the ground.

"Ashei!" Shad called, running out of the cave and into the blizzard. Ashei's eyes flickered to the inside of their rest-stop. The leg was successfully moved into the very back. _Good, _she thought proudly. "Shoot the leg!"

Ashei swiftly stored her blade back in its sheath and pulled her bow off her back. She grabbed another bomb arrow and loaded it into the bow, quickly adjusting it and taking careful aim.

_Boom! _The bomb rapidly exploded after making contact with the Wendigo's severed limb, causing it to immediately catch fire. Shad gave her an acknowledging smile, and then she focused yet again on the task at hand.

With three quick jump attacks, Ashei dismembered the Wendigo's other three extremities, making him let out a loud, defeaning caterwaul.

Ashei felt like grinning. _Serves him right for trying to make a meal out of us. _

However, they were not out of danger just yet. Just as Ashei's blade was about to penetrate the Wendigo's throat, the cannibalistic creature conjured his most powerful force yet - the power of the wind.

The monster summoned a colossal, mile wide cyclone, which he sat pridefully atop of like the legendary Cyclos, the pink amphibian God of Winds from the Era of the Great Sea.

"Shad!" Ashei called. He was pulling in the Wendigo's left severed arm when he heard her beckon. Ashei backed up into the cave - Obsidian was standing beside the entrance, neighing and whinnying like when he was a colt - and gave her friend an uneasy look. "How do I stop him?"

"Arrows! Shoot him in the head! And remember to save three for the other limbs you need to set on fire!"

"Got it!"

Ashei sheathed her sword, loaded another bomb arrow, stepped out of the cave, and drew her bow. Just when she thought she had a good bead on the Wendigo's head, a giant, boulder-size hailstone fell right by her, just missing her head. Ashei jumped back, but then tried to regulate her breathing. It was smarter to stay calm, she told herself, even if the hailstones are making you rather weary.

The Wendigo gave another one of his startling screams, but this time, it didn't faze Ashei one bit - she was expecting it.

Shad, on the other hand, froze where he stood. Ashei, worried for his safety, turned around to see her friend standing still outside the cave, his grip still tight on the creature's dismembered arm. Ashei herself felt like shrieking, but she knew it would be of no use.

Drawing back her bow once more, Ashei fired a speeding bomb arrow at the Wendigo's head, but she missed by a solid three feet. "Damn it!" she cursed, grabbing another projectile from her quiver.

With the snow blinding her sight and the pressure of the situation weighing heavily on her psyche, Ashei struggled to load an arrow into her bow. Seeing his opportunity, the Wendigo charged at Ashei, the force of the attack knocking her to her feet. She shielded her face from any incoming hailstones and then looked up to see the Wendigo back in his original position, staring menacingly above her.

Ashei grabbed her bow from the ground and stood up, her leg throbbing from her rather awkward landing.

She put an arrow in her bow once more and drew it back, firing and missing again by only a few inches. The bow and arrow were never quite her specialty - the ball and chain and sword were always easier to use - but she never missed twice in a row! "Crap," she muttered scornfully. "Only four arrows left! And damn it! Shad needs three to burn the -"

The Wendigo screeched yet again, trying to freeze Ashei, but it still failed to have the desired effect.

"Will you just shut the hell up?" she said with contempt, now drawing back her bow and taking careful aim. "I'm getting real sick and tired of -"

The bomb arrow exploded on contact, shrouding the Wendigo with a thick, billowing cloud of dark gray smoke. When the smoke cleared, Ashei smiled at the sight of the arrow in between the monster's glowing red eyes, his head now engulfed in smoldering flames. The Wendigo tumbled to the ground, the cyclone subsided, and the harsh blizzard came to an end.

And with a boom almost as loud as an erupting bomb arrow, the Wendigo and his severed limbs vanished, leaving behind only a cloud of purple smoke and a Yeti fur quiver of nothing other than the elusive and rare ice arrows.

Ashei felt like a giggly little school girl when she took the quiver in her hands. These were the arrows of legend, the ones the courageous Hero of Winds used in his quest during the Era of the Great Sea.

"Marvelous," she whispered, strapping the quiver to her back. "Marvelous, indeed."

"You didn't forget about me, did you Ash?" a voice from behind her asked teasingly. Ashei immediately recognized it - the voice belonged to Shad, her dorky, red-headed best friend with those silly little Harry Potter glasses she felt like ripping off his face.

"Damn it, Shad, I thought you were a goner!" she cried, running up to him and squeezing him as hard as she could.

He chuckled slightly after she pulled away and said, "The book didn't say anything about the Wendigo just exploding like that! I thought we'd have to go through this whole ordeal to -"

"Oh, can you just shut up about that stupid book and tell me how you're doing?"

"I'm fine," he declared with a smirk. "I'm doing fine."


End file.
